Reproducer



F. W. MINOR.

REPRODUCER.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE2, 1920.

1,375,407, Patented Apr. 19, 1921.

jrwenfo r.- 14 E6021: 5.

way

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK W. MINOR, 0F RICHMOND, VIRGINIA.

nnrnonuone.

Application filed June 2, 1920. Serial No. 385,996.

To aZZ whom it may; concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK IV. MINOR, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Richmond, in the county of Henrico and State of Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Reproducers, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates to reproducers for phonographs and the like and has special reference to the means for supporting the stylus arm, the object of the invention being to provide a simple and cheap support which may be readily applied to the reproducer, will facilitate repairs, and will permit the stylus and stylus arm to vibrate easily while, at the same time, being susceptible of ready adjustment to compensate for wear and impart a desired tension to the stylus and its arm.

In the accompanying drawings- Figure 1 is a longitudinal section through a reproducer, having its stylus a'rm supported in accordance with my invention.

Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view of the same.

Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the stylus arm support;

Fig. 4 is a section through the taken at a right angle to Fig. 1; and

Fig. 5 is a detail plan view of the blank from which the tension bridge or flex plate is made.

The reproducer shell 1 is of the usual form and contains a diaphragm 2 to which the inner end of a stylus arm 3 is centrally attached. In Figs. 1 and 2, I have shown a portion of a resonator 4, employed by me to amplify and improve the resonance of the sounds given out b the diaphragm.

As shown clearly in ig. 1 the stylus arm passes through a slot provided therefor in the side wall of the resonator and is of an ogee form to clear the reproducer shell, the outer end of the arm being secured to one side of the socket 5 thereby eliminating the lugs of special form which are now generally employed in order to secure the arm at the axis or longitudinal center of the socket. The socket 5 receives the needle 6 which is secured therein by a set screw 6', as will be readily understood, so that the needle may be set at any point of its length to produce a modified or loud sound effect. The inner end of the stylus arm is not secured directly to the diaphragm but is connected therewith support through a small link of substantially gooseneck form which tends to overcomethe rebound from the sound vibrations, the outer extremity of the link being-fitted in an eye 61 at the end of the stylus arm and the base 62 of the link bcarin flat sided against the diaphragm while t e intermediate portion or shank of the link iscurved laterally so that the securing screw 63 may be inserted without touching the shank.

The reproducer shell 1 is provided with a base plate 7 which may be fixed thereto in any preferred manner, and is provided 1n its exposed face with a medially located longitudinal groove 8 in which the fulcrum posts 9 of the tension bridge 10 seat for rocking movement. The tension bridge extends directly across the base end of the socket 5, as shown in Figs. 3 audit, and is formed with a central opening 11, through which the needle or stylus 6 passes the needle bearing, in its extreme inner position, against the base plate 7, as shown in Fi s. 3 and 4. It will be readily seen that t e bridge will tend to oscillate with the socket and the needle as the needle follows the undulations of the record. The tension bridge is held to the base 7 by screws 12 fitted loosely through openings 13 in the ends of the bridge and engaging internally threaded openings in the ends of the base plate. Obviously by turning the screws home to a greater or less extent, the ends of the ful crum posts 9 will be caused to bind more or less firmly in the groove 8, and the resistance offered to the oscillation of the stylus will be controlled.

The tension bridge or flex plate may be economically and expeditiously stam )ed from a sheet metal blank illustrated in .ig. 5. Said blank comprises a central oblong body from the opposite longer sides of which at the opposite ends thereof, curved arms 14- extend, said arms returning to the longitudinal axis of. the the openings 13 in their ends. The openings 13 are in alinement with the central opening 11. as shown clearly in Fig. 5, so that the needle 6 and the adjusting and retaining screws 12 will be in alinement. each side edge of the body portion of the bridge, at a point opposite the corresponding arm 14, I form an incision 15, the portion of the blank between each incision and the adjacent end of the body of body and having the blank being or stylus will be firmly supported so that it can not get out of place but will be ermitted to vibrate with the necessary reedom. The socket is provided with a bore opening through its opposite ends so that the stylus therethrough or be adjusted in the direction 'of itslength, a greater volume of sound heor needle may extend entirely ing produced when the point of the needle is art y withdrawn than when it projects its ull length.

The form of the stylus arm shown in the accompanying drawings permits the full force of its vibrations to be transmitted to the diaphragm and care is to be observed in making the stylus arm that the curved portion be not made too short and abrupt as it will not then properly transmit the vibrations.

Various modifications may out departin from the spirit and scope of the appends claims. As to the connection of the inner end of the stylus arm to the diaphragm it will readily be understood that if desired the link 60 may be made as an integral part of the stylus arm rather than separate and secured in the eye 61 as shown in the drawings.

Having t us fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to sebe made withcure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1..The combination with a reproducer shell, and a stylus, of a base plate on the reproducer shell having projecting ends, a

"tension bridge arranged to oscillate with the stylus, means for i'ulcruming the bridge upon the base plate, adjusting screws fitted loosely through the ends of the bridge having a threaded engagement with the ends of base plate, and a socket carried by the stylus, the tension bridge bearing at its center upon the socket.

2. A tension bridge for sound reproducers comprising a substantially oblong body having a central opening therethrough, curved arms extending from opposite sides of the body at the opposite :ends of the same and having their ends provided with openings alined with the central opening through the body, and fulcrum posts rising from the ends of the body.at the sides opposite the respective arms.

3. A blank for a sound reproducer tension plate consisting of a rectangular sheet having an opening therethrough at its center, and being further provided with an incision in each side edge, the incisions being located adjacent opposite ends of the plate, and an arm projecting laterally from each side edge of the plate at the end thereof remote from the incision therein, the arm being doubled on itself in the plane of the plate and terminating in an eye in spaced relation to the adjacent end of the plate.

FRANK W. MINOR. 

